To prove he is healthy and to ignite his team, Robert Griffin III said he will take off and run Sunday against Detroit from his quarterback position more that he has in the first two games this season.
”It’s not that I want to run more, I just feel like that’s what we need,” Griffin said. ”If that’s what it takes to win games, then I’m willing to do that.”
Coming off a torn ACL, Griffin has looked hesitant to run and his numbers bear that out: He has just nine rushes for 25 yards. Significantly, he has not once run out of the “Pistol” formation where he has to use a zone read. That option confused defenses and led him to become one of the league’s most explosive players. He ran for a rookie NFL record 815 yards.
One reason Griffin has not run, according to coach Mike Shanahan, is that the Redskins fell behind significantly early in both games, requiring them to go into a mostly passing attack in an attempt to catch up.
”We just need energy out there on the field, period,” said Griffin, who wears a bulky knee brace. ”Especially on the road, the crowd’s not going to give you any energy, so I take it upon myself to be that guy. I’ve never been a hype man, but Lil John’s a Redskins fan, and you can learn a little bit from him, so I’ll be the hype man if they need me to be the hype man.
”I’ll get everybody motivated. That’s what you’ve got to do as a quarterback, you’ve got to motivate guys, you’ve got to inspire them to go play great. And if you feel like the team doesn’t have enough energy at the time, you create that energy, and that’s what we’re going to do. …. We’ve just got to get our swagger back.”
Asked how he could create more energy, Griffin smiled and raised his palms and said: ”Well, I could run more.”
”I’m a quarterback,” he added. ”If I have to create that energy, if I have to spit a rap line in the huddle, sure, whatever, I’ll do it.”
